By Pedro F. Fonteboa, Boulder City Review

This Fourth of July weekend is expected to be the busiest time of the summer on Lake Mead and the surrounding national park areas, according to Public Information Officer Andrew Mun

The Desert Princess, which is operated by Lake Mead Cruises, is expected to be a popular attraction at Lake Mead National Recreation Area during the three day Fourth of July weekend. Park officials expect 100,000 and 150,000 visitors through Monday. Courtesy of Lake Mead NP

oz.

“When the Fourth of July falls on a weekend, as it does this year, it will rival the Memorial Day Weekend crowds, especially since this year’s Memorial crowds were down because of high winds,” Munoz said. “We expect between 100,000 to 150,000 visitors to the national park areas over the three days of this July 4 weekend.”

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A 38-year-old Las Vegas man who went missing on Lake Mead on May 31 is presumed dead after the National Park Service and Nevada Department of Wildlife failed to locate his body.

A second man died from an apparent heart attack while jet skiing on the lake Saturday.

The search for the 38-year-old, which was suspended after a night and two days, involved park rangers searching for the man on the surface of the lake and shore, and the department of wildlife searching for him on the bottom of the lake with SONAR, park service spokesman Andrew Munoz said.

Munoz said divers were not sent to look for the man’s body because the SONAR revealed nothing in the 100-foot depths. To send divers in would have been dangerous, he said.

“Diving itself poses risks, especially in those areas in those depths,” he said.

The man went missing after he jumped into the water to assist two other men with an inflatable raft, and in the high winds became separated from both the men and the boat he was driving.

On Saturday, a 51-year-old Colorado man died two hours after he apparently had a heart attack while riding a jet ski on Lake Mead.

There have been five deaths at Lake Mead National Recreation Area this year, Munoz said. - Jack Johnson

By Pedro F. Fonteboa, Boulder City Review

Rod Fair, owner of the popular Desert Princess tour boat on Lake Mead, is retiring, but cruise enthusiasts need not worry about the Mississippi River-style paddlewheel.

A new owner is expected to step in and take over operations.

The National Park Service is inviting prospective bidders for the Lake Mead Cruises tour operation to attend a site visit on June 22.

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By Pedro F. Fonteboa, Boulder City Review

While the fishing was not very good over the recent Memorial Day Weekend on Lake Mead, with some minor exceptions, the forecast for the coming year is excellent, according to area experts.

The surface of Lake Mead is predicted to rise about 30 feet over the next nine months – 10 feet greater than previous estimates.

“Right now, Lake Mead is rising about one foot per week, and if projections bare out, by February of next year, the lake should be up more than 30 feet from where it is now,” said. Andrew Munoz., a spokesman for the National Park Service in Boulder City. “The added water will just be a great benefit to everyone and the wildlife living within the lake or its surrounding areas.” …{+}

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By Arnold M. Knightly, Boulder City Review

Memorial Day weekend in Boulder City always brings crowds. People come for the first big Lake Mead weekend of the year, events at the veterans cemetery and the growing annual barbecue event.

Boaters and a jet skier enjoy Lake Mead in Boulder Basin near the Hemenway Launch Ramp in this undated photo. The Park Service is expecting nearly 150,000 people this weekend, the first big lake holiday since the Hoover Dam bypass Bridge opened in October. Photo Courtesy National Park Service

This year, however, city officials and business leaders worry that traffic problems that have gridlocked the area during Thanksgiving and other holidays will be magnified when people try to get to the lake. This weekend is the first major lake holiday since the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge opened in mid-October.

Boulder City Police Chief Thomas Finn said people trying to come to Boulder City during peak hours will likely meet gridlock.

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By Arnold Knightly, Boulder City Review

The National Park Service is using the lure of seeing remote areas of the park to induce volunteers to pick up trash.

The service is “offering free boat rides to remote areas on Lake Mead” for anyone who volunteers a few hours to the park’s cleanup efforts in April and May.

“Volunteers will enjoy a scenic boat ride and assist park rangers with an environmental cleanup,” the park service’s March 11 release said.

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By Arnold M. Knightly, Boulder City Review

Gov. Brian Sandoval took Boulder City’s message of traffic woes to Washington D.C. during last week’s gathering of the nation’s governors.

Sandoval met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Saturday to urge that tractor-trailer traffic be rerouted during upcoming construction to widen U.S. Highway 93 in Boulder City, a statement from the governor’s office said.

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By Arnold M. Knightly, Boulder City Review

The Clark County coroner’s office said last week it could not determine a cause of death for the 16-year-old Henderson resident found in September in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The office said that it had no reason to believe that the death of Shane McNeil was anything other than an accident.

McNeil’s body was found Sept. 28 at 11 a.m. in Boy Scout Canyon near Lake Mead.

McNeil, who was hiking alone, was reported missing Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. by his mother when he did not show up at a prearranged meeting point.

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By Jim Konst, Boulder City Review

If you enjoy running and experiencing some of the most beautiful scenery in the area, check out the Hoover Dam Marathon on Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The event is organized by Henderson-based Calico Racing, and includes a full and half marathon.

“I just had to do this race because the course is so amazing,” Calico Racing owner Joyce Forier said. “It’s so beautiful out there, running through the historic railroad tunnels. You get a great view of the dam and the new bridge from the completed River Mountain Loop Trail.”

Forier has made this race an annual event, and this is her fourth season of organizing marathons.

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By Arnold M. Knightly, Boulder City Review

You can almost picture the scene. A herd of big horn sheep passing a lazy afternoon in Hemenway Valley, minding their own business.

Then, without warning, a dune buggy comes barreling through this tranquil scene, scaring the bejesus out of the herd.

The fear intensifies as the dune buggy turns and starts to chase members of the herd.

This was the scene that National Park Service Rangers were called to Monday just before noon.

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